ABSTRACT
Retinoblastoma is the most common childhood intraocular malignancy and ranks fourth in the list of mortalities in Indian children. Oxidative stress (OS) and oxidative DNA damage cause peroxidative damage to the sperm plasma membrane, DNA fragmentation in sperm nuclear/mitochondrial genome, and dysregulation in levels of mRNAs/transcripts. OS-induced sperm DNA damage is associated with pathologies such as male infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss, congenital malformations, and high frequency of childhood disorders including childhood cancers. The etiology of childhood cancer and increased disease burden is linked to OS and oxidative DNA damage in sperm of their fathers. OS is predominantly caused by a host of lifestyle-related factors, the majority of which are modifiable by adoption of simple lifestyle interventions. Yoga and meditation cause significant decline in OS and oxidative DNA damage and aid in regulating OS levels such that reactive oxygen species-meditated signal transduction, gene expression, and several other physiological functions are not disrupted. Yoga and meditation-based interventions help in 22improving sperm DNA integrity thereby reducing the sperm-associated pathologies and childhood disorders including childhood cancers in the next generations.
